Where Your Treasure Is

When Jesus walked the earth, He spoke to people just like us—farmers, fishermen, business owners, workers, and families facing the daily challenges of life. His teaching was grounded in parables, simple stories that connected deep spiritual truths with everyday experiences.

Money was one of His recurring themes. In fact, eleven of His thirty-nine parables touch on money. Scripture contains more than 2,300 verses about wealth and material goods. Why? Because money is not just a practical issue—it is a heart issue and a spiritual barometer.

How we earn, spend, save, or give money reveals our priorities and our allegiance. It can either become an idol competing with God, or a tool surrendered to Him for His purposes.

Money as a Measure of the Heart

Our attitude toward money is a clear reflection of how we view God. Bank statements often tell the story of where our treasure really lies. Scripture shows us that the fundamental principle is stewardship, not ownership. Everything we have belongs to God; we are only entrusted with it for a time.

And yet, many of us slip into thinking that we own it all. Some even buy into the old idea that Christians are meant to be poor—a doctrine that doesn’t align with what God says about seed, harvest, or blessing. What matters most is not the amount we hold but where our heart is fixed.

Laying Up Treasures in Heaven

Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:19–21 addresses this head-on:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The issue is not treasure itself—it’s the location of the treasure. The question is simple: Where are you investing your life?

To “lay up treasure in heaven” means sowing finances in ways that yield eternal rewards. Imagine standing before God one day and hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” What will be behind you? Will there be lives transformed, people discipled, souls reached?

It’s not enough to give generously to good causes alone. Jesus calls us to invest in what has eternal impact—social justice that is redemptive, done in His name. That’s why ministries like Compassion, Red Frogs, kids’ church, Christian schools, and expansion efforts all matter. Each one takes practical giving and turns it into eternal treasure.

Light or Darkness?

Jesus continued in Matthew 6:22–23:

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.”

These verses are framed within His teaching on money. A generous outlook fills life with light, while a stingy or self-centered view breeds darkness. People can see it in our eyes—generosity radiates light, while scarcity leaves a shadow.

Choosing One Master

Finally, Jesus declared in Matthew 6:24:

“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The tension between God and money is inescapable. Wealth itself is not the enemy, but the trust we place in it can lead us away from God. The challenge is clear: money must be a servant, never a master.

Money reveals the heart. Jesus’ words call us to examine where our treasure lies and whether we are investing in what will last for eternity. When money is surrendered to God, it becomes a tool for light, life, and transformation. When it is hoarded or idolized, it casts a shadow over the soul.

To live marked by generosity rather than scarred by scarcity is to live as children of God, building treasure in heaven where it can never be lost.